Commentary on "The Good Old Days" of Airline Travel
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Commentary on "The Good Old Days" of Airline Travel
My dad used to reminisce a lot about "the good-old days" of
airline travel -
when flying was actually thought of as a pleasant lead-in to a business trip or vacation and people would actually dress-up before boarding. Your steak was served on real china with silver cutlery, and the wine and champagne flowed into crystal goblets. Invariably, the good captain, a Marcus-Welby, M.D. type with wings, would take his stroll through the cabin mid-flight. Any white-knuckled flyers relaxed their grip on the armrest as Captain Welby strode confidently down the aisle, laughing politely at the predictable corney jokes or answering the same dumb questions.
"Flying the Friendly Skies" was actually something to look forward to.
Today, most airlines (especially the domestic)
operate in the same no-frills monotone. The only
distinguishing feature is the livery of their planes and the colour of uniform on the flight attendants. The glamour and glory of air travel has been reduced to nothing more than a "bums-on-seat business."
In this threadbare sky, is there any airline which you think are particularly loyal to because they offer something above the others while being competitive? Or, does it really matter? You just search for your cheapest ticket online, print it out, throw some things into a locker-room bag, put on your sweats.... and head to the airport.
airline travel -
when flying was actually thought of as a pleasant lead-in to a business trip or vacation and people would actually dress-up before boarding. Your steak was served on real china with silver cutlery, and the wine and champagne flowed into crystal goblets. Invariably, the good captain, a Marcus-Welby, M.D. type with wings, would take his stroll through the cabin mid-flight. Any white-knuckled flyers relaxed their grip on the armrest as Captain Welby strode confidently down the aisle, laughing politely at the predictable corney jokes or answering the same dumb questions.
"Flying the Friendly Skies" was actually something to look forward to.
Today, most airlines (especially the domestic)
operate in the same no-frills monotone. The only
distinguishing feature is the livery of their planes and the colour of uniform on the flight attendants. The glamour and glory of air travel has been reduced to nothing more than a "bums-on-seat business."
In this threadbare sky, is there any airline which you think are particularly loyal to because they offer something above the others while being competitive? Or, does it really matter? You just search for your cheapest ticket online, print it out, throw some things into a locker-room bag, put on your sweats.... and head to the airport.
Last edited by V2-OMG!; 26th Feb 2008 at 00:38. Reason: Watch that spelling!
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Happy Days Indeed, Unfortunately we now live in a 'here today gone tomorrow' throw away society, Where people do less and less and expect more and more.
I hope it will improve, But the confidence has all but gone.
Best Regards.
I hope it will improve, But the confidence has all but gone.
Best Regards.
An ex-colleague started his airline days on the DC7C for BOAC. Often they would fly from Prestwick to Gander to cross the pond.
The crew would decide when to meet for breakfast at a high quality hotel nearby. Then, once everyone was ready, the Captain would ask if everyone was ready to go, before they all boarded the bus to operations.
At the crew brief, all would stand up when the Captain entered and all would call him 'Sir'.
Only when he was absolutely happy would they proceed to the aircraft after a short customs check. Then the aeroplane would be inspected; again, the Captain would tell the manager when he was ready for passengers.
In flight, passengers were treated to high quality silver service meals and would be treated like royalty!
Contrast this with the current era of dimwitted jobsworths treating airline crews like dirt, ex-biscuit salesmen runnign airlines and scruffy, ill-mannered lo-co travel-dross being harangued in fractured English by minimally trained cabin staff. And if they're stupid enough to travel on Mikey-the-Pikey's horrible little airline, incessant PAs encouraging them to spend more money on rubbish... "Belt signs are off - you vant buy scratchcard?".
Even Business Class UK-Germany travel isn't as good as charter flights to Spain were in the late 1960s!
The crew would decide when to meet for breakfast at a high quality hotel nearby. Then, once everyone was ready, the Captain would ask if everyone was ready to go, before they all boarded the bus to operations.
At the crew brief, all would stand up when the Captain entered and all would call him 'Sir'.
Only when he was absolutely happy would they proceed to the aircraft after a short customs check. Then the aeroplane would be inspected; again, the Captain would tell the manager when he was ready for passengers.
In flight, passengers were treated to high quality silver service meals and would be treated like royalty!
Contrast this with the current era of dimwitted jobsworths treating airline crews like dirt, ex-biscuit salesmen runnign airlines and scruffy, ill-mannered lo-co travel-dross being harangued in fractured English by minimally trained cabin staff. And if they're stupid enough to travel on Mikey-the-Pikey's horrible little airline, incessant PAs encouraging them to spend more money on rubbish... "Belt signs are off - you vant buy scratchcard?".
Even Business Class UK-Germany travel isn't as good as charter flights to Spain were in the late 1960s!
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Pal of mine travelling on a BOAC staff ticket London-Rome was upgraded to F. Replete after a sumptuous dinner he declined a dessert but settled for a few grapes from the fruit selection. The steward took a silver bowl, emptied a bottle of champers into it, dunked the grapes in it and handed them to him, then took the bowl back to the galley to (presumably) chuck away the used champagne.
Ah, the good old days .......
Accident (and fatality) rates 10 times or more what they are nowadays.
Half the fleet never made it to normal end of service before being written off.
Getting somewhere long-haul needed umpteen stops.
Long-term crews tended to deafness in later life.
Very little competition.
Very thin nonstop network compared to today.
Fare London to Australia about 6-12 months average pay.
Even in deveoped countries most had never been in an aircraft.
Airline piloting numbers in the 1950s about 5% of nowadays.
Accident (and fatality) rates 10 times or more what they are nowadays.
Half the fleet never made it to normal end of service before being written off.
Getting somewhere long-haul needed umpteen stops.
Long-term crews tended to deafness in later life.
Very little competition.
Very thin nonstop network compared to today.
Fare London to Australia about 6-12 months average pay.
Even in deveoped countries most had never been in an aircraft.
Airline piloting numbers in the 1950s about 5% of nowadays.
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My father used to talk about his first flight and how fantastic it was. He flew back from India pre WWII on an Empire Class Flying Boat. He also used to compare it with being a passenger in the eighties. His conclusion was that on his first flight he had a great deal of luxury and was treated with courtesy by the crew, on modern flights he had less luxury and was still treated with courtesy by the crew. However, for him the biggest differences were that with modern flights journey times were shorter, flying was safer and it was one heck of a lot cheaper.
Having said that, I still envy him his flight on the Empire Class. His stories about it left me wit a lifelong passion for flying boats.
Having said that, I still envy him his flight on the Empire Class. His stories about it left me wit a lifelong passion for flying boats.
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I'm Enjoying Your Input!
ALPHAINDIA, good point about people wanting more for less, and airline pax are notorious for that. Nothing grinds my gears more than the $99 "bum on the seat" beside me who demands business/first-class serivce and ammenities. Thank-you for your great observation!
BEagle, "...all would stand up when the Captain entered and all would call him sir." **smiling here ** Obviously, "CRM" wasn't part of the crew vernacular. Although I am a fan of decorum...when it comes those interpersonal relationships in the c/pit, I think I would prefer to err on the right side of safety. Thank-you for reading my post and submitting some of your memories. I did enjoy reading about them!
The SSK, wow! I'm surprised the steward didn't stand over your friend, gently dangling those champagne-infused grapes for him to nibble at...at his leisure!
WHBM, well, call me an incurable romantic...someone who likes to kiss the plane before entering...but I won't get into that now.
You made some valid points, and it is analogous to "The Greatest Generation," which is a North American colloquialism for the WW2 generation who sacrificed all for country in the name of patriotism....mom, country and apple pie, as they call it in America. However, would "The Greatest Generation" have allowed an Afro-American...much less a woman run for president? Thank-you for your insight. Now...excuse me...I have to go kiss another plane.
S'land, an Empire class flying boat? That must have been Pan Am. What a shame none of those great Clippers are here today.
BEagle, "...all would stand up when the Captain entered and all would call him sir." **smiling here ** Obviously, "CRM" wasn't part of the crew vernacular. Although I am a fan of decorum...when it comes those interpersonal relationships in the c/pit, I think I would prefer to err on the right side of safety. Thank-you for reading my post and submitting some of your memories. I did enjoy reading about them!
The SSK, wow! I'm surprised the steward didn't stand over your friend, gently dangling those champagne-infused grapes for him to nibble at...at his leisure!
WHBM, well, call me an incurable romantic...someone who likes to kiss the plane before entering...but I won't get into that now.
You made some valid points, and it is analogous to "The Greatest Generation," which is a North American colloquialism for the WW2 generation who sacrificed all for country in the name of patriotism....mom, country and apple pie, as they call it in America. However, would "The Greatest Generation" have allowed an Afro-American...much less a woman run for president? Thank-you for your insight. Now...excuse me...I have to go kiss another plane.
S'land, an Empire class flying boat? That must have been Pan Am. What a shame none of those great Clippers are here today.
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an Empire class flying boat? That must have been Pan Am. What a shame none of those great Clippers are here today.
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Hmm, someone needs to do a bit of revision I think. Empire Class, Clippers, different. BOAC, Pan American, different.
You are right. Pan Am did not operate the "Empire Class" Clipper.
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Sorry V2-OMG!, but The Shorts Empire Class were used by Imperial Airways. I think it would have been bad form to have used a foreign airline in those days.
Thanks for the information. This site is good for expanding that "North American aviation arrogance" which I tend to be inflicted with.
Gee.....there really are other planes up there that aren't made by Boeing.
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'Fraid so V2-OMG!. There have even been a few reasonably successful aircraft made by American companies other than Boeing. Shock, Horror, I know. 
.
I think that before WWII British airlines tended to buy aircraft from British manufaturers (we had an aircraft industry in them days).
Having said that, BOAC did have three Boeing 314A Clippers.
.I think that before WWII British airlines tended to buy aircraft from British manufaturers (we had an aircraft industry in them days).
Having said that, BOAC did have three Boeing 314A Clippers.
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S'land, just a bit of trivia....Pan Am used to give all its first class flyers a collectors' plate depicting one of those early Boeing 314s landing at one of their South Pacific ports. I have a friend who was with Pan Am for years and accumulated a lot of their memorbilia...and he kindly gave me one of those plates which I treasure to this day.
Ahhhh...those good old days again. The only "plates" you'll see these days on those no-frill airlines is a paper one!
Ahhhh...those good old days again. The only "plates" you'll see these days on those no-frill airlines is a paper one!
wondered what was going on.S'land is a corruption of Sunderland which was none other than the military version of the Empire, by the same manufacturer, so on reading this he has been very kind not to have blown a cylinder - whoops, that was another feature of US aircraft (especially with Wright engines) which was far less common in those built in the UK.
All in jest. If you want to see a real big flying boat in the US, Kermit Weeks' museum near Orlando, Florida has one, a post-WW2 Short Solent, just a refined Empire really, which you can walk all through, and there's another in Oakland, California.
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Well worked out WHBM. S'land is indeed an abbreviation of Sunderland.
Why blow my top about someone making a genuine error? I have made a great many in my life and will make a great many more in the future.
V2-OMG!:
I agree about the different standards (although the last time I flew a cheap airline at Christmas I do not remember even a paper plate), but almost everyone in the developed world can afford to fly. A very different situation from the "silver service" days of yore.
It would be interesting to see the memorial plate.
Why blow my top about someone making a genuine error? I have made a great many in my life and will make a great many more in the future.
V2-OMG!:
I agree about the different standards (although the last time I flew a cheap airline at Christmas I do not remember even a paper plate), but almost everyone in the developed world can afford to fly. A very different situation from the "silver service" days of yore.
It would be interesting to see the memorial plate.
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S'land...my plate is packed away with most of my other treasures, and I haven't looked at it for a couple of years, but I found a link on ebay.
http://cgi.ebay.com/BAUSCHER-WEIDEN-...em360023611803
And....looks like I screwed up again - unless Hong Kong junks ply the waters of the South Pacific! lol!
http://cgi.ebay.com/BAUSCHER-WEIDEN-...em360023611803
And....looks like I screwed up again - unless Hong Kong junks ply the waters of the South Pacific! lol!
The artwork of the Martin M-130 on the plate looks familiar, I think it is from one of the posters that Pan Am had done in the 1930s. Unfortunately all my reference books on this are up in the attic. You'll recognise a similar-looking picture on this website page, it's of the Boeing 314 but looks like it may have been by the same artist a few years on, possibly Paul Lawler - note even the junk looks pretty much the same ! Enjoy the rest of the website as well :
http://www.flyingclippers.com/main.html
And a Chinese junk would be reasonable as the Martin's main Trans-Pacific service was the China Clipper from San Francisco to Manila and Hong Kong, starting in 1935. The Martin also started the South Pacific route to New Zealand but ran into various problems and operation was intermittent. The second generation of aircraft was the Boeing 314, much more capable, which came into service in 1939 but they never really got properly established either before the war started in the Pacific.
http://www.flyingclippers.com/main.html
And a Chinese junk would be reasonable as the Martin's main Trans-Pacific service was the China Clipper from San Francisco to Manila and Hong Kong, starting in 1935. The Martin also started the South Pacific route to New Zealand but ran into various problems and operation was intermittent. The second generation of aircraft was the Boeing 314, much more capable, which came into service in 1939 but they never really got properly established either before the war started in the Pacific.
Last edited by WHBM; 27th Feb 2008 at 22:05.
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The plate shows a Martin M-130, another great aircraft. It could be that yours is of a 314.
I thought it was a B314...but since I don't have the plate with me, I couldn't check the printing on the back of it to see what the a/c was....if in fact that info. is available on the back.
Now gentlemen.....is there anything else you'd like to rectify at this particular moment?
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WHBM, that's a great site, and I did study all the posters.....whilst trembling....in case I made another boo-boo about my blinkin' plate.
The South Pacific poster with the B314 is not my plate, nor is the B314 with the junk the right one either.
The one I made the link to is definitely my plate.
Life's a short runway - use it all.
The South Pacific poster with the B314 is not my plate, nor is the B314 with the junk the right one either.
The one I made the link to is definitely my plate.
Life's a short runway - use it all.
Last edited by V2-OMG!; 27th Feb 2008 at 23:36.